With relation to TFA:I bet people assume (on some level) that since they are putting it together themselves, the money they're spending went into the materials-- so win win! (I'm not saying this is true, just that people might think that)

with respect to subby's headline:I took a marketing class a while back about consumer insights where we talked about the layout of Target stores. The insight was that 30 years ago, they had a good idea what people wanted to buy, so they put those things far apart to make people walk across the store to buy it. Nowadays, apparently customer behavior has changed to where people generally budget a certain of time in the store (45 minutes, whatever) and plan to 'browse', so they actually put things people go in to buy near each other, to give time back to let people browse with the remaining time. I think everyone knows the former, but the latter was pretty fascinating.

People do not value putting things together themselves versus it being put together for them, they just don't value things being put together for them at-all. The IKEA effect is that people are willing to pay a little more for good design, which is why IKEA does so well. Up until IKEA, you had to spend an arm-and-a-leg to get any residential furniture that had even an inkling of good design elements to it. Even your Crate-and-Barrel or West Elms are far more expensive in most cases than IKEA.

What surprises me is that IKEA has not branched out into the contract furniture market. Assuming any of their products could meet BIFMA standards, they would control a sizeable market-share in North America because that is the core focus of their business model. Staples had that opportunity, but office supplies is their money maker so they don't really spend a lot of effort in the arena.

the money is in the banana stand:People do not value putting things together themselves versus it being put together for them, they just don't value things being put together for them at-all. The IKEA effect is that people are willing to pay a little more for good design, which is why IKEA does so well. Up until IKEA, you had to spend an arm-and-a-leg to get any residential furniture that had even an inkling of good design elements to it. Even your Crate-and-Barrel or West Elms are far more expensive in most cases than IKEA.

What surprises me is that IKEA has not branched out into the contract furniture market. Assuming any of their products could meet BIFMA standards, they would control a sizeable market-share in North America because that is the core focus of their business model. Staples had that opportunity, but office supplies is their money maker so they don't really spend a lot of effort in the arena.

This. IKEA is cheap and it looks nice. You can pay the same amount for an equal quality desk at Target, but it will look like shiat.

I like the IKEA stores save for one thing. The couches should be at the very end. If you want people to fall in love with a shiatty couch wait until they've been on their feet all day listening to their SO comment on every curtain on display in the entire warehouse.

The article presupposes that there is better product out there cheaper pre-assembled. This is laughably untrue. IKEA succeeds because their stuff, on the whole, is incredibly cheap for what you actually get, which is good looking functional modern furniture and accessories. Yes a lot of it is made of cheap/recycled materials. so? cheaper and worse than the chipboard and shiat pine that frames most assembled furniture? not really. Prior to their arrival there WAS no market for cool stuff that wasnt expensive as all hell.

The 'classic' furniture market sells badly made rubbish that is dated, horrible to look at and expensive, and if it is modern and 'designer' it is brutally overpriced. If they got destroyed by IKEA then they deserved it.

The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

We use Ikea at work, so I'm there all the time. Find what you want on the net, look up the bin/shelf numbers online, go in downstairs and go past the registers into the warehouse. I can be in and out in 10 minutes if I time it right.

Pocket Ninja:The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

The way to solve that is to permanently assemble it. Use glue, screws, and JB weld. It'll look the same but will be way more solid than if you use the cheap little fasteners they give you.

Pocket Ninja:The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

Sigh. Glue and clamps along with a few brads are your friend here. Glue and clamp both sides of every dowel and every mating surface. Use a brad nailer to nail the hell out of the back.

gaspode:The 'classic' furniture market sells badly made rubbish that is dated, horrible to look at and expensive, and if it is modern and 'designer' it is brutally overpriced. If they got destroyed by IKEA then they deserved it.

I agree with this. Ikea succeeds because it is a viable alternative to hulking and expensive pieces, and often the only way to get clean modern lines at affordable prices.

And for the record, I have never had a piece of Ikea furniture that I thought was badly constructed. I maintain that people gripe about it being flimsy, etc. because they take it apart to move and then reassemble it. I am not at all convinced that repeated disassembly and reassembly is part of the Ikea product design criteria. It's meant to ship flat and be put together one time. If you take it apart again and it's not the same the second time you put it together, that may not be the manufacturer's fault.

/Let the record also show that I did in fact disassemble my Ikea bed frame in order to remove it for carpet installation, and after reassembling it I perceive no difference now compared to before. It's solid and secure.

Our IKEA stuff has survived multiple moves and cost no more than anything we bought from places like Target, and it has held up a lot better. Our kitchen table has made 6 moves in less than 9 years, no problems at all. Same with our bookshelf, TV stand, and coffee tables. I wish the stuff we had bought other places held up even half that many moves.

Pocket Ninja:The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

I call this the IKEA limit. Usually the limit is at 1 or 2 disassembles. The first time things will be a little iffy, but with some care things should work out. The second time is the last time you get to disassemble it. Then you'd better make sure every single part is bolted, glued and welded in place.

They consider themselves as pioneers in experimental behavioral economics which is basically how to manipulate rubes consumers to make more money.

They emphasis the importance of various "tricks" to get people "personally invested" in products, purchase decisions, or even such decisions as charitable contributions because that generally leads to more money.

Assembling furniture is a personal investment in it. I think it was back in the 1950s when boxed cake mixes came out that it was found that housewives were more invested in a cake that they added their own eggs to rather than one made from a box that only needed added water.

The more expensive Ikea stuff is of very good quality...my sister recently replaced all her old furniture with Ikea stuff, and man..the stuff is heavy! If you buy a cardboard bookshelf, sure, but I was quite surprised how durable their products have become.

HairBolus:They emphasis the importance of various "tricks" to get people "personally invested" in products, purchase decisions, or even such decisions as charitable contributions because that generally leads to more money.

You can see that Ikea has wildly succeeded in that in this very thread.

TFA "they valued their own creations more highly than paper creations made by experts"

For me, that is bs. I value any of my creations higher than that of experts because the shiate that I make is infinitely better than what some so called 'experts' can achieve.

drewogatory:Pocket Ninja: The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

Sigh. Glue and clamps along with a few brads are your friend here. Glue and clamp both sides of every dowel and every mating surface. Use a brad nailer to nail the hell out of the back.

Pocket Ninja did mention about moving.

I have an Ikea wardrobe that is 10 feet high by 2 feet wide by 6 feet long. If I glued it all together, I would have to leave it behind when I move house as there is no way that that wardrobe is fitting through the door.

Don't know about the U.S but most of the furniture that I buy from Ikea in the U.K only lasts a couple of years, even when glued together.

Ugh, my wife loves that stuff. I inherited my mom's furniture, which came from her mother's mother. It has lasted for generations yet my wife insists on redecorating every few years with those planned out Ikea rooms. Well, she has to because that crap falls apart within that time under normal usage. At least it's cheap. At least I'll have something to eat on if I ever have to move out, I guess

Oh, about the article. The Ikea effect regarding people valuing something they put together themselves is nonsense. Give any person walking into that store a blank check, they'll gladly go to Pottery Barn instead and like it just as much.

My grandson got trapped in the IKEA store maze layout once and had to puke all over the emergency exit door for want of a better place.The word store and emergency exit door are advertisements. don't click on them.

When I moved in my own place most of my furniture was from Ikea. All that stuff was a breeze to assemble. My bed with drawers which did not come from Ikea was a nightmare - took 2 days to assemble, much of which was spent trying to figure out instructions. A non Ikea desk chair my mom bought had to be returned because the assembly was so difficult that some of the screws and holes got damaged. A similar one from Ikea took 10 minutes to build. Took more time to unpack the parts than to screw them together.

Plus there's the style. Every store sells shiatty classical/Victorian era styled furniture with fake elaborate designs. I like Ikea for its black-brown simple, modern design style. Plus they had this "make your own design" computer desk that I absolutely love.

Everything feels sturdy too, everything is aligned. I don't care if someone tells me if it's an illusion, it feels like its great quality.

No, I don't subscribe to the "I made it so I like it more" theory. I like it because it's what I wanted.

Oreamnos:gaspode: The 'classic' furniture market sells badly made rubbish that is dated, horrible to look at and expensive, and if it is modern and 'designer' it is brutally overpriced. If they got destroyed by IKEA then they deserved it.

I agree with this. Ikea succeeds because it is a viable alternative to hulking and expensive pieces, and often the only way to get clean modern lines at affordable prices.

And for the record, I have never had a piece of Ikea furniture that I thought was badly constructed. I maintain that people gripe about it being flimsy, etc. because they take it apart to move and then reassemble it. I am not at all convinced that repeated disassembly and reassembly is part of the Ikea product design criteria. It's meant to ship flat and be put together one time. If you take it apart again and it's not the same the second time you put it together, that may not be the manufacturer's fault.

/Let the record also show that I did in fact disassemble my Ikea bed frame in order to remove it for carpet installation, and after reassembling it I perceive no difference now compared to before. It's solid and secure.

I dunno, we disassembled our entire flat full of IKEA stuff and sent it from England to New Zealand (cost nothing extra to add it to our container, and you cant buy IKEA here) and every piece is still serving members of the extended family. You just have to disassemble with care and keep the parts.

It is like everything else I think.. you actually follow the instructions with care and intelligence (forcing it to fit upside down with a hammer, then realising you are wrong and forcing it apart then redoing it the right way is not conducive to a good result), look after it, dont abuse it and if you need to disassemble do that with care and keep all the parts.. and it lasts. Amazing how that works.

From the comments: "Firstly, I know I can put together furniture better than the minimum-wage workers at a competitor."

Really? You can assemble a piece of furniture you've never seen before better than a minimum-wage worker who has to assemble the same piece of furniture all day, every day? I farking doubt it! I've assembled furniture before. The first time takes forever. But once you've done it, it's a piece of cake. And it gets easier and easier every time you do it.

They don't make flat furniture out of wood. They only make it out of MDF or particle board. It just happens to be cheaper, and flat rectangular thin slabs just so happen to be the shapes people like. Win-win.

Sin_City_Superhero:From the comments: "Firstly, I know I can put together furniture better than the minimum-wage workers at a competitor."

Really? You can assemble a piece of furniture you've never seen before better than a minimum-wage worker who has to assemble the same piece of furniture all day, every day? I farking doubt it! I've assembled furniture before. The first time takes forever. But once you've done it, it's a piece of cake. And it gets easier and easier every time you do it.

This. I've assembled a fair number of Target 5 shelf bookshelves. It got easier and easier every time. Once you know the system rather than deciphering where everything goes on the diagram, you could do it in your sleep.

I dunno, if you follow this logic, they're implying that people would actually pay for the privilege of assembling the stuff. I want to find those people so they can come to my house and assemble my Ikea. No charge, I'd even provide beer.

There is nothing more maddening than an IKEA store on a Saturday. Narrow aisles, slow ass people not paying attention pushing their carts into your knees. Hidden shortcuts. Confusing floorplan.

IKEA thinks it's smart because it forces people to look at everything as they wander the rat maze, but what it does is dilute their brand. I go there far less often than I would if it was a good buying experience.

This comes from someone who would drove hours to go to the IKEA near Chicago that has a broad, open floor plan. That was the best IKEA I've ever been in. I'd rather be stabbed in the eye than go to my local IKEA on a weekend day.

balki1867:With relation to TFA:I bet people assume (on some level) that since they are putting it together themselves, the money they're spending went into the materials-- so win win! (I'm not saying this is true, just that people might think that)

with respect to subby's headline:I took a marketing class a while back about consumer insights where we talked about the layout of Target stores. The insight was that 30 years ago, they had a good idea what people wanted to buy, so they put those things far apart to make people walk across the store to buy it. Nowadays, apparently customer behavior has changed to where people generally budget a certain of time in the store (45 minutes, whatever) and plan to 'browse', so they actually put things people go in to buy near each other, to give time back to let people browse with the remaining time. I think everyone knows the former, but the latter was pretty fascinating.

"Fascinating" ... Really?

.... and I find it hard to believe that ANYONE "budgets" a certain amount of time when they enter a Walmart or a Neiman Marcus?

DerAppie:Pocket Ninja: The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

I call this the IKEA limit. Usually the limit is at 1 or 2 disassembles. The first time things will be a little iffy, but with some care things should work out. The second time is the last time you get to disassemble it. Then you'd better make sure every single part is bolted, glued and welded in place.

the money is in the banana stand: People do not value putting things together themselves versus it being put together for them

Except that they do. Tons of research says that people do. Hundreds of papers about people preferring the thing they made over a pre-made, factory perfect substitute.

I dig Ikea products, for reasons many of the above comments have mentioned. I don't mind putting together my own furniture if all of the pieces are in place. However, I have had a few snafus of the wrong parts, lack of parts, or part A doesn't fit into hole B happen many a times after getting crap at Ikea, which makes me customize my own solutions to fix the aforementioned shortcomings. Much grief has been had.

Pocket Ninja:The IKEA Effect is what causes their furniture to remain perfectly fine and functional for as long as you keep it in the same home, but the moment you attempt to move it somewhere else, it self destructs.

I had a computer desk from there that survived two moves. The instant we moved it out of the way to make room for my new computer desk, guess what happened?

Heamer:I derive no enjoyment from furniture assembly, but I'm happy that there are people who do.

I derive enjoyment from designing and building my own furniture from materials that I pick and finish with the look that want it to have, but some people are happy just buying furniture and having it delivered.

Right now, I am planning on making for myself a new chest of drawers that will fit in my closet below the hanging clothes. It is a precise fit, that I've already checked does not exist in stores. It will cost less than the stores would charge anyways. I've already built my sons' chest of drawers, so I'm sure I know what I am doing.